■SOCCER
Identity woe for goalkeeper
Paris Saint Germain goalkeeper Apoula Edel was set to face further media scrutiny yesterday when a sports weekly claimed to have evidence that he is not really who he claims to be. Edel hit the headlines several months ago when a disgruntled former coach of the player in Cameroon, Nicolas Philibert, claimed Edel was in fact five years older than 24, and named Ambroise Beyamena. Edel has refuted the allegations. However, yesterday’s 10 Sport’s edition contains excerpts of documents which appear to support Philibert’s claims. The weekly also published signed testimony from another Cameroon player who claims to have known Edel as Ambroise Beyamena in Cameroon and then recognized him in France. It is believed Philibert initially informed the authorities of the alleged fraud in a bid to reclaim money owed to him by Edel.
■FORMULA ONE
Minister defends GP
Australia’s Victoria state government has defended the Melbourne Grand Prix after it posted its biggest loss in five years, costing taxpayers nearly US$50 million, reports said yesterday. Attendance was up at this year’s race over last year, but costs rose after the start time was moved to the evening to suit global television audiences, and the March event was in the red to the tune of A$49 million (US$46 million). The GP is funded by the state government and has consistently lost money since Melbourne replaced Adelaide as Australia’s Formula One venue in 1996. Victoria’s Major Events Minister Tim Holding defended the costs in the face of criticism that the government was propping up a “millionaires’ car race” at the expense of vital services. “The economic benefit to Victoria far outweighs the cost of staging the Formula One Grand Prix,” Holding was quoted as saying by Melbourne’s Age newspaper.
■SOCCER
Ex-Socceroo arrested: report
Former Socceroos captain Craig Moore has been arrested in Dubai for allegedly drink-driving and assaulting police, Australian media reported yesterday. Public broadcaster ABC said Moore, 34, was in jail after being arrested on Wednesday. Foreign affairs officials said a 34-year-old Australian man had been detained in Dubai, without identifying him. “The man remains in detention and has legal representation,” a spokesman said in a statement. Moore retired after this year’s World Cup, following a career that included 52 caps for the Socceroos.
■SOCCER
Henry kicks up fuss
New York Red Bulls star Thierry Henry’s celebratory kick left goalkeeper Kevin Hartman with an injured knee — and Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman hopping mad. Following a goal by New York’s Mehdi Ballouchy on Thursday, Henry went to strike the ball again and Hartman got in the way. The Dallas goalkeeper went down with an injured medial collateral ligament in his right knee. Henry apologized to Hartman at halftime of the 2-2 draw. “The ball was there and like I do sometimes, I just wanted to kick the ball back in the net,” Henry said. “He put his foot out there and that’s how he got injured. That was unfortunate. I went to apologize at halftime because I didn’t mean to hurt him. He put his foot out there and I just wanted to smash the ball back in the net. A pure accident. I told him I was sorry. He accepted it. It was one of those stupid things.” Hyndman said the team would likely submit a complaint to the league.
■BASKETBALL
Casspi mural defaced again
Police and the NBA’s Sacramento Kings are urging possible witnesses to come forward after a mural of Kings player Omri Casspi of Israel was again defaced with a swastika. A swastika was first found painted on the mural on Sept. 8, and the portrait was found defaced again on Thursday morning, Sacramento police said. Casspi, who is Jewish, is the only NBA player born in Israel. The Anti-Defamation League had already offered a US$1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the first incident. Joe Maloof, co-owner of the Kings, released a statement on Thursday describing the vandalism as “sickening acts of intolerance.” Maloof says the team will match the reward offered by the Anti-Defamation League.
■BASKETBALL
Haslem’s charges dropped
Felony marijuana charges were dropped against Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem on Thursday, court records showed. “While there was probable cause for the arrest of Udonis Haslem, the state could not prove Udonis Haslem’s knowledge or possession of the cannabis beyond a reasonable doubt,” prosecutors said in a written memo. “As a result, the state attorney’s office will not be able file charges.” Florida state troopers arrested Haslem and another man last month after finding marijuana in the trunk of Haslem’s car. Haslem’s attorney, Eric Schwartzreich, had denied the marijuana was Haslem’s and the seven-year NBA veteran had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
■BOXING
Showtime plans tournament
The Showtime cable television network yesterday unveiled a single elimination bantamweight boxing tournament to begin on Dec. 11 with a bout featuring Yonnhy Perez and Joseph Agbeko. The fight in Leon, Mexico, between unbeaten International Boxing Federation champion Perez and Agbeko will be the first of two semi-finals. The second will feature unbeaten Abner Mares and two-division champion Vic Darchinyan. The championship and consolation matches will be held next year. “I hold these four world championship competitors in the highest regard for taking the fights that the fans want to see, for risking their status as one of the world’s best, to prove they are the sole champion in the division,” Showtime vice president Ken Hershman said yesterday. The tournament has been in development for several weeks. It is more streamlined than Showtime’s “Super Six” super middleweight modified round-robin tournament that is still underway. The bantamweight tournament includes four fighters who are widely thought to be among the best in the 118-pound division. For them, the single-elimination format is a chance at a bigger payday in the smaller weight division.
■
GOLF
PM’s mimicry angers Walton
Ryder cup winning golfer Philip Walton has written to Ireland’s prime minister asking him to explain why he mimicked the sportsman at a now infamous boozy night with journalists and politicians. In a statement released exclusively to Reuters on Thursday, Walton said he and his wife felt compelled to contact Brian Cowen after details of the skit appeared in newspapers and television reports. “From what I have heard and read so far, the stories are of concern to myself, my wife and also my children as they have seen reports on You Tube,” Walton said in a statement. The statement said Walton, who holed the winning putt in the 1995 Ryder Cup, felt “anger” at this week’s events.
‘AWFUL PERFORMANCE’: Golden State were always chasing the game after failing to threaten from long range, making just eight of 33 three-point attempts Aaron Gordon on Monday scored 38 points as the Denver Nuggets shrugged off the absence of Nikola Jokic to halt the Golden State Warriors’ seven-game winning streak with a 114-105 victory over their Western Conference rivals. A dazzling display from Gordon inspired what was ultimately a comfortable win for Denver, who were missing regular starters Jokic and Jamal Murray from their lineup. The absentees were barely felt by Denver, who startled the Warriors early at San Francisco’s Chase Center and led for most of the game. The Warriors threatened to stage a late rally after slashing the Nuggets’ fourth-quarter lead from 15 points
Barcelona’s Ferran Torres scored twice on Sunday to help secure a late 4-2 comeback win at Atletico Madrid in a pulsating La Liga clash that took the Catalan side back to the top of the table. Barca have 60 points and a game in hand after last week’s postponement of their home game with CA Osasuna. They are level on points with Real Madrid, who won 2-1 at Villarreal on Saturday. “I am happy and proud of this team,” Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick told a news conference. “They never give up... It’s a great three points and we are happy to
Chris Wood has fired Nottingham Forest into surprise UEFA Champions League contention and now the striker wants to score the goals to help New Zealand make history at the FIFA World Cup. New Zealand are strong favorites to qualify out of the Oceania region over the next week and reach the World Cup for only the third time. At the country’s two previous appearances at the finals, in 1982 and 2010, they have failed to win a match in six attempts. With Wood captaining the side and leading from the front, he told local media yesterday that the current squad can finally deliver
Paolo Banchero on Sunday scored 24 points as the Orlando Magic overturned a 13-point deficit to end the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 16-game unbeaten streak with a gutsy 108-103 road victory. Cleveland, the runaway Eastern Conference leaders, had looked poised to extend their franchise-record winning run after surging clear of Orlando early in the third quarter, but after a season where they have staged hefty winning comebacks of their own, the tables turned on Cleveland in the face of a furious burst of Orlando scoring. The Magic outscored Cleveland 35-23 in the third quarter, with Franz Wagner leading the charge with nine points and
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